Matt King
Northland is home. As a former police officer, detective and small business owner, I understand the local issues. I had the privilege of serving as the MP for Northland from 2017-20, which allowed me to connect with people from all walks of life across the length and breadth of the electorate. While I am not a sitting MP this term, I am still deeply committed to our region and our people. In addition to the various roles I have held, I have been a farmer for more than three decades. I am an independent thinker, and I believe in having a strong voice to advocate for the issues that matter.
As 2021 draws to a close, we can reflect on what has been, and what could be in 2022 and beyond.
Since 2020, we have had five lockdowns in our commercial capital, thousands of businesses that have had to shut their doors across the country, hundreds of people who have missed important events with their loved ones due to COVID restrictions, one million Kiwis still overseas and wanting to come home, and a Government who holds the ultimate power – to the point that democracy has steadily been eroded. And all of this has happened with so few people noticing – or asking questions about how, why or for how long. Fear is a great way to control. If the pandemic ends, the control ends.
We have had front-row seats as the drama and chaos of COVID has unfolded. It has been nearly two years of confusion, frustration, heartache and despair for many, as we have seen so many professions lose competent and highly valued staff in areas already experiencing skills shortages, due to undemocratic and draconian measures.
This is far more complex than whether or not you wear your seatbelt every time you get in the car. What happened to personal responsibility and critical thinking – why are we not asking what the actual issue is and whether the mandates being enforced actually solve the problem? We should be able to look at scientific literature and data with a critical eye. The silence from the medical community in many countries – including New Zealand, has been deafening. There is a duty of care and an oath that is taken when entering the medical profession. Valid concerns are not to be labelled or silenced – they should be treated with respect, care and assessed with transparency and genuine concern.
If we follow the science, then let us ask why. Is the psychological and economic impact we will see really worth these harsh measures?
What has been most alarming, is the unquestioning compliance from so many as increasingly draconian, non-evidence-based and destructive virus control measures have been implemented.
When you have children unable to play sport or continue their team-based activities, is that really the isolation and division we want to teach our next generation as being accepted and normal? For something so apparently unchallengeable, it seems to shift and change uncomfortably from week-to-week, and for those of us looking beneath the surface to the plain data, we see the unchanging truth – COVID-19, as it turns out, has a much lower infection fatality rate than early predictions. It is less deadly than the seasonal flu in children.
So, as we look to 2022 and start thinking about new year’s resolutions, let’s consider this – let’s resolve to put the chaos and disruption of 2021 behind us. Let’s reconnect, reintegrate, and regain the ability to critically think and critically debate. Let’s scratch beneath the surface and always ask “why?”. Some of us will always stand up for what we believe is right, despite push-back and attempts to discredit, because we need to be the voice for those who are not being heard. This is our time in history, and we have to choose which side of history we want to be on. If we follow the science, it’s easy to resolve that the time has now come to put the pandemic behind us – put the fear behind us, and let’s move on. Here’s to a great 2022.
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